Shaarika Kaul
Ava Tran finishes up a martini glass design on a banner for one of her customer's twenty-second birthday.
Senior Ava Tran completed her first official banner order on Wednesday, Sept. 18 2024. One year later, her business grows beyond the borders of Prosper, shipping to customers as far as 1,700 miles away, in Boston.
Painting is something that Tran has always felt a calling for. From her handwriting class in fourth grade to making pep rally banners for Student Council and other events, Tran has been practicing this art for most of her life.
“I feel like I’ve always been the person to write things down on my teachers’ board,” Tran said. “It was when my friend asked me to make a homecoming banner when I had a reason to paint a brown banner for an event.”
Before she had the idea of starting a business, Tran first posted her banners on her Pinterest account.
“I started getting so many likes, saves and comments on Pinterest, and I think I reached 1 million views on my profile,” Tran said. “People were commenting, can I order this?”
Tran created a new Instagram account, with the handle @paintedby.ava, dedicated to it. Her bio includes a Google form with in-depth questions for customers to customize the banner to their preference. However, most typically trust Tran’s artistic vision.
“People ask me just to do what I’m thinking a lot of the time, actually. And sometimes it makes me nervous,” Tran said. “But I love doing it because they chose me out of a lot of other people, so I think that they picked me for a reason. I just need to trust my judgment.”
Since her business has grown, banners aren’t the only products Tran offers. She also paints trucker hats, jeans, clipboards, water bottles and bows. With the popularity of painting banners received in the last year, they remain her most ordered product. Others who paint banners typically follow the same process; however, Tran’s method is a little different.
“A lot of people who do paint banners normally trace stencils, but I think with me, I go in with a chalk and then I just start painting,” Tran said. “I just don’t think about it too much because when I do, I feel like it limits what I can do. And when I have my mind in it, it just flows, and most of the time when I do it with chalk, it’s just a guiding point.”
Tran has improved her technique and style since the first homecoming banner she made, an order placed by senior Sophia Massoto.
“At first, she was a little hesitant, but she still went for it and I’m so glad she did,” Massoto said. “Since then, her growth has been incredible. Not only has her style and design work improved, but her confidence also and you can really see that through in her art today.”
A hobby that once started within the four walls of her bedroom gradually moved into the living room. Although Tran enjoys working around her family, as her business continues to grow, the space in her house is unable to accommodate her many orders.
“My dad is kind of tired of me painting on our dinner table, and we’re getting a new one because I’ve painted all over the one we have right now,” Tran said. “But he’s trying to transform our little garage into an area for me to paint because right now it’s his hardware area.”
Tran’s experience starting a business came with complications. With her busy schedule, she wasn’t always available to be present when people picked up their orders.
“I had someone picking up from Plano, but they didn’t leave it [the money] under my doormat like I told them to. So they had just taken the banner and then left and then blocked me,” Tran said. “That’s when I had to start getting people to pay before.”
Despite these drawbacks, Tran continued to push through and build her business, keeping the people who encouraged her by her side. One of Tran’s biggest motivators is Ginger McClendon, her PCIS teacher, who has walked her through every stroke of her business.
“I like getting little gifts for new teachers on our team, so they get clipboards,” McClendon said. “She has the design and the creativity. I support her just by referring her to other people now, and it’s easy to do. Her presence online is amazing. Her marketing has been exquisite. The word is out. So if anything, I better get my requests in early because the demand is high.”
While Tran is no longer in PCIS, McClendon still supports her through her many orders, and the experience Tran gained in her class guided her in wanting to pursue a career in law. Though she does not plan to study art in college, she hopes to continue her business during her time there.
“I’ve seen a lot of people on social media continue this in college and will paint in their dorms or apartments,” Tran said. “They’ll do it for like sororities or fraternities, and that’s how they continue that. As of right now, that’s my plan. I don’t know if it’s going to keep on going. I can only hope it is, but we’ll just see.”
Tran’s hope to continue the business, even through college, proves her dedication to her craft. She knows how to build a loyal customer base. An order from her assures that customers receive high-quality products.
“I hold myself to a really high standard, especially when painting,” Tran said. “I think of how I would want something that I’m paying for to turn out. I want to make people happy, and if you want customers to keep coming back, you need to be able to keep them happy.”
By turning something she loves into her part-time job, Tran is able to make a profit out of her passion. After learning how to make a business flourish, her experience allows her to impart advice for others who wish to start a business.
“Make sure it’s something you love doing, because if you don’t love doing it, it’s going to be shown in your work and it’s going to be dragging you down,” Tran said. “And I would also tell them to just start because nothing’s going to happen if you don’t start.”